U.S. Sen. Scott Brown is renewing his advocacy for the fishing industry in Massachusetts as he took aim at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in a new radio ad.
U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., highlighted his advocacy for the Massachusetts fishing industry in a new radio ad released on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)BOSTON - U.S. Sen. Scott Brown is highlighting his advocacy for the fishing industry in Massachusetts as he takes aim at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in a new radio ad.
Brown, who is facing tough competition in his reelection bid from Harvard Law School professor Elizabeth Warren, a Cambridge Democrat, has been an outspoken critic of NOAA, which he says has hurt fishermen with crushing fines, unrealistic catch limits and arbitrary enforcement of the rules.
"We have a proud tradition of fishing in Massachusetts. It's been the subject of countless books and movies. It's also been a source of strength for our economy, going back to our earliest days," Brown says in a new radio ad. "But our fishing industry is dying, and Washington is to blame."
Brown previously called for the firing of NOAA's top administrator Jane Lubchenco, for what he described as "indifference" to the industry's struggles.
In February, he called out the agency over a U.S. Inspector General report that revealed NOAA used money collected from fisherman fines to purchase a luxury boat for $300,787 which was also used for employee "booze cruises."
"To this day, no one has been held accountable for these abuses," Brown said. "What does it take to get fired in Washington? Our fishermen and their families deserve better from their government, and I'm going to fight to protect them."
In March, Brown and U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., introduced the Fisheries Investment and Regulatory Relief Act into the Senate in an attempt to help turn the tide for the domestic fishing industry.
The bill, which was read and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, would ensure that a significant portion of the money collected from tariffs on imported fish or fish products is cycled back into the American fishing industry, in accordance with the 1954 Saltonstall-Kennedy Act.